BBC partners on Christie drama

MIPCOM: BBC1 in the UK has ordered a crime drama series adapted from novels by Agatha Christie and starring David Walliams.

The six-part series Partners in Crime, from Acorn Productions and Endor Productions, also stars Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) who plays alongside Walliams as an amateur detective couple.

The series has started filming and will launch at MipTV next year, although distributor All3Media International is preselling broadcast licences at Mipcom this week.

RLJ Entertainment-owned Acorn has taken US broadcast, digital and home video rights, as well as DVD rights in the UK and Australia.

Partners in Crime is directed by Edward Hall (Restless, Downton Abbey) and produced by Georgina Lowe (Mr Turner, Mad Dogs).

Executive producers include Hilary Bevan Jones (Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, The Escape Artist), founder of Endor Productions; Hilary Strong, MD of Acorn Productions and Agatha Christie Ltd (Poirot, Have I Got News For You); Mathew Prichard, chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd; and Matthew Read, for the BBC. Walliams is also exec producing.